It’s not something you see every day at Bomber practice, but then again it’s not every day the Blue and Gold are on a five-game losing streak and have fired the CEO, the general manager and the offensive co-ordinator before the season is eight games old.

That would probably explain why Bombers running back Chad Simpson absolutely lost his lid on running backs coach Steve Hladio during one of the offensive team periods of Thursday’s practice at Investors Group Field. Not long after a play ended, Simpson had ripped off his helmet and was trying to get at Hladio.

Simpson, who was celebrating his 28th birthday on Thursday, had to be held back by teammates as he screamed and pointed at the first year assistant. Players fight at practice on occasion, but the team’s starting tailback needing to be stopped from physically going after a coach — in public, no less — is quite rare.

It sums up how frustrated Simpson is with Winnipeg’s situation, which he has discussed with the media on several occasions already this season. He needed to let off some steam, and he did that on Thursday. Did he ever.

“I shouldn’t have handled it that way,” Simpson said. “Everybody just wants to win, and I’m tired of losing. I’ve been having this taste in my mouth since last year. This is what I do. I play football. This is my life, and it sucks when your life isn’t going good.”

Simpson and Hladio were back on speaking terms later in the practice, so it doesn’t appear to be a situation that will linger.

“Me and the coaches, we understand each other,” Simpson said. “They know that I’m an emotional guy and fiery guy. We don’t always have those outbursts. I mean, today was the first time. I’ve never had a problem with coaches. That’s never been my deal. Being in a position I’ve never been in before, I kind of blew up.

“… He’s a great guy. He’s upset about what’s going on, too. Me and him are on the same page. He’s Ukrainian also. It’s just always going to be a loud conversation between us two.”

Simpson, who is not part Ukrainian, is the Bomber who probably wears his heart on his sleeve the most. He’s extremely emotional after losses, and Thursday’s emotional meltdown was another example of his frustrations boiling over.

There might be no one in the locker-room who wants a win more than Simpson..

“It’s not just <ital>a<ital> win. I’m talking about stringing wins. I want to be a winning team,” he said. “We’ll get another win. I’m sure of that. It’s about being a better team, being a great team. I got a taste of that going to the Super Bowl with the Colts. It’s a taste you never forget, and I just want that taste back; being in the Super Bowl and playing in the big dance. Knowing everyone’s home but you and another team. You get that taste, and you want it again.”

The question is: Do enough of his teammates feel the same way? No one looks as upset as Simpson does these days, but then again not everybody needs to be walking around punching walls and freaking out on assistant coaches to prove they want to win.

“Hungry is what I want from them,” head coach Tim Burke said. “I want them to be hungry and focused.

“And I want them to be positive, believing that they can do it, because I believe as soon as you quit believing you can win, then you won’t.”

Simpson believes his teammates feel the same way he does and it’s time for all of them to realize the damage they have done.

“You can definitely sense guys are getting tired of this. It’s two years of losing,” he said. “Who wants to be remembered for that? A lot of people aren’t going to be here next year. They already got rid of our CEO and GM. We got guys fired because of our play. It’s terrible.”

Birthday boy Chad Simpson blows his top at Bombers practice

It’s not something you see every day at Bomber practice, but then again it’s not every day the Blue and Gold are on a five-game losing streak and have fired the CEO, the general manager and the offensive co-ordinator before the season is eight games old.

That would probably explain why Bombers running back Chad Simpson absolutely lost his lid on running backs coach Steve Hladio during one of the offensive team periods of Thursday’s practice at Investors Group Field. Not long after a play ended, Simpson had ripped off his helmet and was trying to get at Hladio.

Simpson, who was celebrating his 28th birthday on Thursday, had to be held back by teammates as he screamed and pointed at the first year assistant. Players fight at practice on occasion, but the team’s starting tailback needing to be stopped from physically going after a coach — in public, no less — is quite rare.

It sums up how frustrated Simpson is with Winnipeg’s situation, which he has discussed with the